


Fight or Flight?

by Yourwritingco



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Angst, Awesome Gwen, BAMF Max, Bigotry & Prejudice, Blood and Violence, But Max can handle himself, Cheetah Max, David is Protective, Deer Neil, Dysfunctional Family, Dysfunctional Relationships, Gen, Healing, Homelessness, Nightmares, On the Run, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rated For Violence, Real Life, Shapeshifting, Stars, Stars are cool, Street Smart, Trust Issues, Wolf Nikki, rated for language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-13 00:11:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11748060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yourwritingco/pseuds/Yourwritingco
Summary: The only thing that can combat fear is action, and there's two actions;Fight?Or,Flight?In an alternate universe, where there are such things as shapeshifters, most humans are okay with them.Most.Max is a cheetah shifter, forced to kill others like him just to survive. Living in awful conditions, as well as putting his life on the line every day for someone else's enjoyment, he is ecstatic when he finally manages to escape. Until he accidentally breaks the law.Of fucking course.He finds himself lost in the forest, lonely and afraid, until he finds two friends in Nikki and Neil, two kids going to Camp Camp, a camp for shifters to mingle and make friends.  They even manage to get him into it.And, even though David is way to fucking cheerful, and Quartermaster is creepy as fuck, and half the kids there are literal garbage, he finds that he's kind of enjoying himself.But, when the time comes, will Max be able to leave his new life- and his friends- forever?





	1. Prologue

The screams of the spectators was just white noise to Max as he eyed up with opponent. On the other side of the 'Thunderdome' as all the shifters called it, a bear cub reared back on his hind legs and roared a challenge. Max narrowed his green eyes. _Perfect._

The cheetah shifter raced across the arena, and leaped, clearing an impossible distance so he could close his teeth down on the grizzly shifters neck. Max closed his eyes as he bit down harder on the soft flesh, flattening his ears against the roar of the crowd as the nine year old killed his opponent.

Pulling away from his now dead opponent, Max sat back on his haunches and stared at the humans surrounding him, lips curling back into a snarl. He had been fighting for his very life, but all these people cared about was whether or not their bet's were right. He didn't attack them though. That would be suicide at it's finest.

One of the ringmasters men opened the door, before attaching a leash to his shock collar. Another man joined them, and together the three of them walked through the jeering, mocking crowd. Max jumped as shards of shattered beer bottles cut him, but he marched on, head high.

Upon entering the living quarters- though maybe 'living' wasn't the best word. Existing was a much better word for the shifters that were forced to kill each other. They existed. No more. - He was thrown unceremoniously back into his cage. Once alone, Max shifted back into a human.

It was a weird thing to see, muscles shifting, bones cracking, hair fading and lengthening. Where a small fluffy cheetah cub had once been, now a dark skinned boy with darker floppy hair. The only way one could possibly tell that they were the same creature was the strange, green eyes that were adjusting to the dim light.

Those eyes fell on a simple grey jumpsuit, and Max quickly put them on, aware of how naked he was at the moment. Afterwards, he leaned back against the wall, and started pulling out glass shards from his skin, not even flinching at the slight pain.

After doing a quick evaluation and establishing that none of the blows he suffered where life threatening, the small boy curled up on the dirty, smelling mattress that was his bed, and fell asleep.

Busy day tomorrow.


	2. Gwyneth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another day in the Thunderdome, but Max is going up against a familiar face . . .

"Wake up, freaks!" Was the first thing that Max heard the next day. He was up on his feet in seconds, trying to ignore the ache in his muscles as he watched one of the Pures walk past his cell warily, as he tried to gauge weather they would be fighting as animals or humans. They did that sometimes, made it more exciting for the Pures. Because God forbid that they ever get bored.

 

Max tugged on his shock collar lightly, a force of habit, as he watched the Pure take out two animals, a tiger shifter and a jaguar shifter, neither of which could be much older than twelve. The Pures took them away from their families when they were too young to fight back, dirty fuckers. Max had been here for only six months, after he was traded away like an unwanted child. Before that, he had been in a ring exactly like this one now.

 

He began counting in his head, a method he used anytime he was bored. This place was 20% misery, 50% fear and 30% pure boredom on a good day. He had just reached 6,632 when the Pure came in for him, he threw open the door and stared at the boy. "Shift" he ordered impassively. Max rolled his eyes, but made no wisecrack comment, knowing just how stupid that was now.

 

Instead, he trotted beside his captor, with a fucking leash on, like he was some sort of dog. Unconsciously, the fur on his shoulder blades began to rise in aggravation, but thankfully, the man didn't notice. He led the shifter back into the large metal cage, and let him off his leash, before kicking him harshly and slamming the door behind him. Max stumbled slightly, before regaining his footing. The Thunderdome was just a giant metal cage, with metal bars cutting it in half. When the bell sounded, the bars would fall, and the audience would get to watch as the two lucky shifters ripped each other apart.

 

Max tensed, before widening his stance, tension bleeding out from every pore as he readied himself. He tried to control the sudden surge of adrenaline that rushed throughout his body as he eyed the door on the other side of the Thunderdome. A pure walked in, wearing a thick glove, with a bird resting on it. In his cheetah form, Max's eyesight was shit, so he had no idea what kind of bird it was.

 

The pure took off the birds hat, and let it out into the cage, which had a very high, but still there, roof. The bird landed inches away from the bars separating them, falling into a stance that Max himself was thoroughly familiar with. It was the stance of a bird who was going to fly as high as he- or she- could the second that bell rang. He curled his lips back into a snarl, not at her, but at the people around them, as he prowled closer, wanting to get a good look at the creature he would be killing in mere seconds.

 

 **Max?!** The bird shrieked, in the weird telepathic connection that all shifters had while in this form, suddenly flapping her wings and throwing herself backwards away from the cub in front of her.

 

But before she could, Max got a good look at her, and realized she was an eagle.

 

A golden eagle.

 

Fuck

 

 **. . .Gwyneth?** He asked, reaching through their mind link to ask that simple question. Like he didn't already know. He let go of his fighting stance to stare at the bird who stared at him like he was equal parts a gift and a curse.

 

_And suddenly he was back in his first Thunderdome, but back there they called it The Pit. It had been roughly six years ago, but he remembered it like it was yesterday. A smaller than average, three year old cheetah cub taking on animals that were easily twice his size?  He had only survived his first match through dumb, stupid luck._

 

_And then he was put in a cage next to Gwyneth, the golden eagle. She had cared for him, in her own aloof way. She had taught him basic fighting stances, weaknesses he could exploit. She taught him how to analyse the problem, to get back up and to fight again. She taught him how to fight as a human too._

 

_She had taught him how to survive._

 

_The last time he saw her, he was being transferred to The Thunderdome. Her cries had echoed in his head long after their mental link had been broken. He had been thrown into this hell hole, and had spent every spare second recalling every lesson she had ever taught him, trying to ignore the voices in the back of his head telling him she was dead, that even this fucked up world wouldn't be that cruel, wouldn't let her die without him saying goodbye._

 

* * *

 

 

Turns out, this fucked up world was much crueler. Being reunited with the one creature that made him feel safe, only to have to kill her.

 

The two stared each other down, ears flattened, and wings drooped.  **This . . . is not how I saw our reunion going** Gwyneth's dry voice rang through his head. Max sighed, turning his head to examine the bird. **There's no way both of us can leave this cage alive, is there?** He asked, even though he already knew the answer. Knew it from the moment he saw a black bear shifter refuse to kill a leopard shifter, and had to watch as they gave them both enough electricity to stop their hearts. Either one shifter eaves tha arena, or no shifters leave that arena.

 

The two stared at each other somewhat awkwardly, before Gwyneth reluctantly spread out her wings in a basic attack pose. Getting the meaning, Max fell back into his favorite fighting stance as the two waited for the bell to ring and the bars to drop.

 

 **Briiiiiiiiiiiiing!** Max didn't even flinch at the loud noise anymore, instead he soared through the air, smiling when he saw Gwyneth fly over him, just like she thought she would do. He landed in a defensive crouch, and the two eyed each other up. Max took slow, steady steps, eyes never leaving hers, but now the crowd was starting to get restless, it was only a matter of time-

 

Ah, there it was. A Pure came in with a stick, fully intending to provoke them into fighting each other. And it would of have worked, until the golden eagle dropped from the sky, and started to claw his eyes out.  **Max!** She cried, beating her wings frantically as she left the cage. 

 

Time seemed to slow, and all at once Max became aware of two decisions. He could stay in this cage and cower, and die of electrocution or he could do a suicide mission by racing through the crowds. Flight or fight.

 

Fuck this, he thought, racing out of the Thunderdome, and through the crowds, dodging feet and legs as he did so. His eyes fell on the lead Pure, the only one who had the remote which allowed the electricity setting to be changed. Max felt his eyes widen, before throwing his body through the air, snarling. 

 

He landed on his chest, roaring as he clamped down on the weird remote, and crushed it under his tough teeth.  **Max, hurry!** He spun around, and spotted his eagle fried by the exit, only a short distance away.

 

As he prepared himself to jump, Max heard a gunshot go off. Oh, fuck, his ears flattened against his head as he jumped the short distance to the door. Gwyneth was already pulling on the handle, but nothing was happening. Growling, he flung himself at the handle, and the door opened easily. The two shifters lay there for a split second before they were off, racing and flying as far away from that place as humanly possible.

 

At some point, the two got separated, but Max didn't, couldn't care anymore, because he was free, and this was fresh air, and dear God, where those stars? They had only been vague memories of such things. And.. . . that was the moon! Max almost ran into a lamppost, thanks to the fact he was craning his neck.

 

He finally came to a stop near the edge of the town. He stared up at the large wooden thing in front of him. Is that a tree? He wondered, feeling giddy. He had never seen a tree before, and now there was hundreds of them, stretching as far as the eye could see. He bounced across the springy grass, enjoying the softness under his paw pads. He came to a stop underneath a tree, and, after doing a quick evaluation- nothing serious, just some glass cuts- the boy curled up into a small small, shoving his tail underneath his chin.

 

First thing tomorrow he was getting that stupid collar off.

 


	3. Accident

Max woke up to the sound of a breaking twig. To anyone else, it would just be a mere annoyance, but Max was crouching down, a growl building in his throat as he tried to figure out just where that noise had come from, trying to _assess, assess, assess._

 

It didn't take long to figure out the source of the problem.

 

Standing mere inches away from him was a middle age man, holding what looked like a cell phone. His mouth hung open as he saw Max's weird eyes, the sign of a shifter. Max pulled himself back, his hackles raising in alarm. He pulled the skin around his teeth up, showing off his razor sharp, if small, teeth, and growled, which was slightly high pitched thanks to being a cub.

 

The man stared at him blankly, before bursting out laughing. He reached out, to  _touch him._  Max still had a scar running down his back from the last person who used physical contact with him.Max reacted on years of training and instinct, closing the distance between them in less than a heartbeat, and pinning him down onto the ground. He growled once more, only this time, with his teeth inches from the man's throat, it seemed a lot more threatening.

 

The man whimpered softly, just in time for Max to get back to his senses. _What am I doing?_ He asked, stepping off, and starting to walk away. And he would of have walked away, had the man, the _stupid, stupid_ man, in a fit of rage, grab him by his tail.

 

Max went still, and the idiot of a man finally seemed to get that touching him was a _very_ stupid idea. But it was too late. The damage was done. Max spun around, and sliced the man's throat open, watching impassively as the man's life slowly bled out. He turned around, stiff legged in his outrage, and walked back into the city.

 

It was very loud in the day, he found. People talking, cars and trucks, even just the sound of feet hitting pavement sounded like thunder to the boy. Thankfully, the alley he was going down was empty, save for a few rats. He stared at them, aware of the sudden hunger pains in his stomach. He gave himself a brisk shake. He could come back later if necessary. First things first, he needed to find  a way to get his stupid collar off.

 

The shock collars were specifically made that if you tried to take it off, be it in human or animal form, it would fry your brain. Maybe now that the remote was destroyed he could take it off? Max weighed up the consequences, before throwing that idea away almost instantly. It would be fucking ironic if he died after he escaped that hell hole, would't it?

 

He sat down, and smoothed out his chest fur, what had puffed out in his anger and fear. It was a calming motion, and he enjoyed it. It made him significantly cleaner looking than the others in The Thunderdome.

 

 _The others_. That rocked Max back a bit. There were still shifters in there! Would they still be fighting?  Or were they punished for Gwyneth and his mistakes? _Not my problem,_ he tried to tell himself. The memories of a leopard shifter showing him how to wash the blood off his muzzle, before it could crust over and get itchy appeared in his mind, unbidden. He sighed, turning back to the way he came. _Fuck._

 

He made his way back to the edge of the forest, only to stop at the entrance of the alley, startled at the scene before him.

 

Surrounding the man that Max had killed were more humans, and even a couple shifters! They were all dressed in blue, and one of them was talking into a box. They had two German shepherds with them, and they were sniffing around the body, trying to figure out what had happened.  **Hello?** Max called out, but it seemed neither of the two dos heard him. So, these were real animals?

 

One of the shifters, however, heard him, and he spun around to stare at the cub. With the sun behind him, Max was almost impossible to make out, and one wouldn't even notice the thin strap around his neck unless they were looking. The man stared at his bloodstained muzzle, before pointing at him, eyes wide. Everyone turned to look at him with varying results. Anger,fear, distaste, Max smelt it just as much as he saw it.

 

One of the humans, an older man, whistled, and the two dogs and the shifter lunged at Max. Midair, the shifter changed from a man, to a wolf. Behind them, the others had their guns out and where taking aim. The dogs bared their teeth threateningly, as they and the wolf shifter landed right in front of the boy. They were clearly using intimidation tactics to try an get their way.

 

Max hackles rose, before he fell into his fighting stance; paws wide, close to the ground and teeth bared. The wolf shifter looked surprised for a moment, but then the older man, the whistler, shouted "he killed a man! Take by force if necessary!" The two dogs began to circle the small cheetah, snarling, while the wolf took a basic fighting stance.

 

Max, on the other hand, stood stock still, processing, analyzing. It seemed that even in the outside world, fighting wasn't banned. A small flurry of emotions passed through him at that. Sadness, disappointment, bitterness . . . . . . . _relief_. Because there was at least something in this weird world he was good at. 

 

He struck suddenly, spinning around and sinking his claws deep into the dogs coat, before throwing him at his twin. The two crumbled to the ground together, and while one was trying to disentangle himself frantically, the other was unconscious. Max turned his attention back to the other shifter, who was staring at the two dogs, shocked.

 

 _Mistake._ Max flung forward, pinning him to the ground, snarling. He was about to rip the shifter's throat open -kill or be killed after all- when he heard the click of a gun. He threw himself off the wolf, and rolled, feeling a piece of burning hot metal fly past him, missing him by inches. He came out of the roll running, going straight trough one of the humans legs. He heard the sound of gunshots in the background as he legged it towards the forest.

 

 _Agony!_ He stumbled as he felt a bullet enter and leave his shoulder. This kicked in his most familiar goal. _Survive._ Last time he had picked fight. It was only fair to give flight s shot. He picked his speed up so that the trees around him were just a green blur. He tripped over a few roots, but scrambled up and was off again.

 

He remembered how humans made a big deal about how fast he was, but this was the first time he ever got to truly test it out. Despite the pain, a pang of thrill and joy ran down his spine, making him shiver. He had never run before. He was doing all kinds of new things today. 

 

He finally came to a stop, panting, on top of a hill that overlooked a very large lake. Max's survival instinct's kicked in almost instantly. He sat down and examined his shoulder carefully. The bullet had passed through, and from what he could tell, it had hit nothing of importance. _Still_ . .  . he looked around desperately. All the tree's had little needles for leaves, so that was no help. 

 

His eyes fell on some soft green things growing on the tree's. He touched it gingerly, before carefully ripping out a pawful. Gently, he pressed it against his wound, hissing at the pain, but kept the pressure there. Maybe he could find, some kind of string here, or something? To tie it to his shoulder. 

 

Max nodded, satisfied, then wincing at the sharp pain. _Okay, now that that was over._ He surveyed the area surrounding him. A lake. That was good! Water! He needed to get down there! He groaned, before standing up, and almost instantly the makeshift bandage he was using fell off. He blinked down at it, annoyed. He tried to put it back again, only for it to fall off once more.

 _Okay, it's fine,_ he told himself, starting to head down. _The weird green thing seems to grow everywhere, I bet there's some down by the water to_ o. 

 

The walk down was painfully slow, with him carefully putting the paw with the injured shoulder down, only to quietly yelp at the pain, and almost trip down the steep hill. When he finally reached the bottom, he was panting, and the fur along his spine was damp with sweat. He found that, yes, his hypothesis about the weird green shit was correct. 

 

After remaking his bandage, Max dragged himself to the lake water, and unceremoniously dunked his muzzle in. He closed his eyes in bliss. In his animal form, he could drink contaminated water, and this tasted like a tiny piece of heaven. He sat back, and let the water run down his muzzle, shivering at the cool pleasure that it caused.

 

He was suddenly aware of just how hungry he was. He hadn't eaten since yesterday morning, and he never got to hunt those rats. Oh well, from what he heard, forest's were full of life, and this is what this was, wasn't it? A forest? He tipped is head back, and tried to catch a scent of something.

 

But Max had grown up in a dark and dreary place. The only things he could smell there were misery, blood and alcohol. Now, out in the open, his nose was being assaulted with smells, making it impossible to differentiate them. His round ears flattened involuntarily, before perking up at the sound of a twig snapping.

 

He jumped to all fours, the pain in his shoulder being overtaken by the adrenaline rush as he and a deer shifter stared at each other. Max stared at him, unblinkingly, while the deer looked at his muzzle, which was still stained with blood, before his blue eyes drifted to Max's shock collar. 

 

Max snarled, and the deer yelped and took off. Max watched him for a second, before his stomach reminded him he was hungry, and he took off, chasing the deer.


	4. Neil

Neil's shapeshifting abilities ran in the family. Turning into an animal when he was two years old did not surprise his family. No, what did surprise them what animal he turned into.

 

Neil's parents came from a long line of predator shifters. His mother was a fox shifter, while his father was a polar bear. They had been . . . less than pleased when they realized that for the first time in hundreds of years, there was now a prey shifter in the family. They had sent him to Camp Campbell, a place for shifters to learn and make friends, partially for science camp, but mostly because they weren't really sure what to do with him.

 

Despite this, anyone who knew Neil knew just how fitting a deer was for him. He was extremely tall for his age, and gangly, all legs and arms, and no animal could best exemplify his skittish nature except for a deer. His parents just didn't know him very well.

 

The camps science camp sucked. They rummaged together some outdated shit and called it a fucking laboratory. There was one upside though, he had made his first real friend, a wolf shifter named Nikki. If it had been anyone else, he might of have blushed at the thought of being friends with a  _girl._ But Nikki never seemed even remotely female, so it never really crossed his mind.

 

Until today. Nurf, a gorilla shifter, had mocked the two's relationship, and got the entire camp laughing at them. In a rage, Neil had stormed off. As he walked, he began to strip off his clothes, getting ready to shift. Without breaking a stride, the pale, naked boy changed into a gangly fawn.  _Stupid Nurf,_ he thought, marching through the forest, teeth clenched. He wasn't even aware that he was heading towards the lake until he stopped at the edge of the trees, and spotted the cheetah cub.

 

It was small and still had fluff around his paws and neck. He had clearly been drinking from the lake recently, judging from the wet paws. But even from here Neil could see the ribs under his fur, and saw how he was holding some bloody moss to his shoulder, and how he was favoring his right paw, holding it off the ground slightly. Neil was prepared to walk out there, maybe offer some first aid?- When his back hoof brushed up against a small twig, which snapped in half.

 

It was the smallest of sounds, but to the the cub, it was like a gunshot, because in an instant, he was in some sort of weird battle crouch, teeth bared slightly. It also gave Neil a better look at him, like the strange eyes, a sign of a shifter,  _or_  the fact that with the moss gone, he could see a bullet wound,  _or_  the electric collar around his neck.

 

 _Or_  the  **blood**  that still stained his muzzle and claws.

 

Paralyzed, Neil met the cheetah's eyes, and the smaller shifter stared hungrily back. He snarled, and that snapped the deer shifter out of it. Spinning around, he raced through the forest. Less than half a second later, he heard the sound of pawsteps following him. **Fuck.**

 

* * *

 

 

He was gaining on him. Neil could hear the encroaching noise of paws hitting the floor softly.  He didn't dare risk a look over his shoulder, afraid that he would trip and fall. And then it would all be over. For good. Neil thanked his lucky stars that the shifter had been shot in the shoulder. Had he not, he would already be dead by now. 

 

Neil spotted a small mound of grey out of the corner of his eye. _Of course!_ Sleepy Peak Peak! He couldn't out run him, but he could out climb him! Neil felt a grin break across his muzzle as he split away from his current path. In the back of his mind, he was aware of the other shifter skidding slightly as he tried to turn as well, but Neil was focused on the encroaching grey mound. There was a big enough rock, that if he could reach, he would be safe on.

 

He used the last of his energy reserves to flat out sprint the last few meters, before scrambling up the giant boulder. He wobbled precariously, but a smirk crossed his furry face as he saw the cheetah skitter to a stop below him.  **Once again logic and intellect trump idiocy and athleticism** he sent out into the cheetahs mind. 

 

The cheetah just raised an eyebrow.  **I think you overlooked something**. Neil was surprised to hear his chasers voice suddenly appear in his head and the sound of the vice itself. He had expected it to be deep and harsh, but it was light, with an undercurrent of bite to it. He almost fell off his rock, but balanced himself just in time to smugly ask  **yeah? And what's that?**

 

 **What makes you think you can stay up there forever?**  Neil froze, terror shooting down his spine. _He was right._ No one knew where he was. He had traveled an extreme distance today, and nobody would think of this place. He  _couldn't_ stay in this place forever. He would fall off, or he would find a way up here.

 

 **Because they already know where I am?** It was weak, and the cheetah didn't even bother dignifying it with a response. Maybe he could fight him . . . Neil looked at his enemy, studied the strong legs and wiry muscle, all hidden under fluffy fur. He noticed how the top of one ear was missing and his torn claw, and instantly abandoned the idea. No, that would be suicide.

 

 _Okay, fighting's out so . . ._ he took a deep breath.  **I can get it off!** He announced, and watched the cheetah sit back and tilt his head.  **What?**  Neil nodded at the collar.  **Your collar. I can get it off**  he said, eyes wide.  **How?**  The smaller shifter asked, curiosity piqued.  **You have to let me down first** Neil warned, and the cheetah hesitated. Neil held his breath, only letting it go when he nodded reluctantly.

 

The second his hooves touched the ground, Neil's mind split into three separate decisions. He could run, but a single glance at the cheetah cub told him no, that the cub would tackle him before he could even get back into the forest. He could fight, but that would just be dumb. Or . . . 

 

He sighed, and started trotting back to the camp.  **Come on**  he called behind him  **I need my equipment if I'm gonna get that off you.**  The other shifter fell into an easy step beside him, despite the fact that his wound was starting to bleed again.  **What's your name?** He found himself asking, and his former chaser glanced up, confused.  **Why?** It was a simple word, but Neil almost flinched at the sharpness of it. 

 

 **I like to know the names of the creatures that tried to eat me** he said wryly, and was surprised by a sardonic laugh that echoed bitterly in his head.  **. . .Max**  He admitted, and Neil nodded, filing that away in his brain.

 

They walked on in awkward silence for a moment, before Max did the shifter version of clearing your throat.  **What's your name?** He asked slowly, like he had never said those words before. Neil ducked under a low hanging branch.  **Why?**  Max shot him a dirty look.  **I like to know the names of the creatures I try to eat**  he said dryly, and Neil snorted  **Neil**. 

 

The two descended into silence again, this time slightly more comfortable. Neil stared down at Max from the corner of his eye. Th fact that he was wearing a shock collar was bad, but not surprising news. Many humans, or 'Pures' if they were really racist, sometimes took shifters as pets or slaves. Sometimes both. Max must of have escaped from his . .  Neil shuddered, _owners._

 

* * *

 

 

The two stopped at the edge of Camp Campbell. Neil leaned down to nudge Max, before gesturing with his head to a small tent.  **See that? That's science camp. Everything we need is in there.** Max nodded, before starting to cross across the camp. Neil blocked his way, ears flat.  **What do you think your doing?** He hissed, and the fur along Max's spine rose in anger and surprise.

 

 **If they see you, you'll be thrown out!** Neil didn't know why he cared so much if the cheetah got into trouble. Maybe it was because he was so small and thin? He certainly looked helpless, maybe deer's had some kind of maternal instinct.  **Hey dipshit!** The voice finally broke through his thoughts, and he looked down to see a _very_ aggravated cub staring up at him.  **I said, how are we doing this?** Neil sighed and closed his eyes, a brilliant blue that was unnatural for a deer.  **Okay . . just stay beside me.**

 

Somehow, in some weird way, the plan worked. Max just walked beside him, on the side that faced away from the camp, and even though everyone could see him thanks to the long, skinny legs that held Neil high of the ground, no one commented on it.  **They're really fucking stupid** Max noted as he trotted beside the deer, earning an eye roll from Neil.

 

Quickly Neil changed back into a human, blushing when he realized that Max wasn't looking away. "Do you mind?" He asked, frowning. Max seemed surprised, but looked away anyways. Neil quickly pulled on a spare shirt and t-shirt, before getting out a small screwdriver. "Come here" he ordered, and Max reluctantly shuffled forwards, until Neil could touch the collar.

 

Neil was a scientific genius. He had always been like that, solving math equations at the age of three, so he stared at the collar with something akin to boredom. He held the screwdriver between his teeth, before opening up a small flap in the collar, and getting to work.

 

Less than five minutes later, Neil gently pulled the collar off of Max, who instantly began to scratch his neck furiously, a blissful expression on his face. Neil eyed the short, chafed fur, before getting up. "Wait here" he said, holding up a finger for _stay_.

 

Quietly he slipped into the cafeteria. Nurf, in his human form, knocked him over. "Didn't see you there" he snickered, before adding as an afterthought. "Just kidding, I would have to be blind to not see you there, I'm just saying that." Neil rolled his eyes, before walking up and taking the health kit off the wall. "Wow there, Neil" David, a red setter shifter said, stopping him from leaving. "What's that for?"

 

"Science" Neil said shortly, stomping out of the building and back to Science Camp, only to find Max standing outside, staring up at the stars. "I thought I told you to stay" he said,earning himself a dirty look. He dropped the kit down on the ground, before kneeling down. "Let me see that shoulder" he ordered. Max didn't move. " **Max**! I'm trying to help!" He exploded.

 

Max's eyes widened, before turning around, letting him see his shoulder. Neil took out the antiseptic and squirted it into the wound, wincing at the strangled meow coming from the cheetahs throat. _God,_ he never wanted to be a doctor. Pushing on, he wrapped the wound up in some gauze.

 

Max inspected it, nosing it gently, before nodding, satisfied. He turned to Neil and gave him a single, solemn nod, before spinning around and vanishing back into the forest, leaving a tall boy with a medical kit staring after him like he was a ghost.


	5. Wanted

 

Nikki found Neil sitting on a small patch of grass, with a medical kit beside him. "Hey Neil!" She cried, racing up to him. "You'll never guess what just happened! Go on guess!" She chirped, waving her arms wildly. "You found a new mud puddle?" Neil deadpanned, causing Nikki to laugh, shaking her head. "Nice try! Go again!" She urged. Neil frowned slightly up at her. "Just tell me" he said, rolling his eyes as he got to his feet. "The police are here!"

 

Neil reeled back. "What? What the hell are they doing so far north? Did they finally catch Mr. Campbell?" He asked, incredulously as she led him to the main cabin. Nikki shrugged. "No idea! But I bet it's cool!" She threw open the door, and the four officers as well as all the campers and counselors turned to stare at him. "Found him" Nikki shouted as she took a place on the floor. Neil, after making sure he wasn't going to be sitting on something disgusting, followed suit. 

 

The oldest officer, a balding man, frowned at them for a moment, before pointing to a blurry picture of a small ball of yellow. Yellow and black. _Shit_. The leading officer waved a hand at the picture. "Yesterday morning, a young cheetah shifter killed a man" David let out a loud gasp, while everyone else let out low mutters at this. Neil shook his head, the memory of the cheetah hunting him appearing in his head. _And yet . . ._

 

He raised his hand, like he used to in school. "Yes?" The leading officer asked, pointing at him. "Yeah, um, did he eat him?" The policemen seemed disgusted by the question. "No! Why?" The policeman leaned forwards, while Neil tried to fit this new knowledge in with the puzzle that was the tiny cheetah. "It's just, if I was a predator, I would eat my prey. Was he distracted?" That last sentence was directed at himself.

 

"You said 'he'" Leader noted, leaning forwards with his eyes narrowed suspiciously. Neil laughed, a tad nervously, as he was a terrible liar.  "Well, you know, it's more likely to be a boy, than a girl" he said. Thankfully, Gwen, the new camp counselor spoke up. "Sexist!" She called. Neil glared at her, trying not to show his gratitude. "I am not! Males are just statistically more likely to kill-"

 

"Nerd!" Nikki yelled, much to David's displeasure, and Neil puffed out his chest. "I prefer intellectual badass" he boasted. Nurf shoved him "we're not going to call you that, dweeb." The policeman looked between the shifters, annoyed. "Back on track" he interrupted, gaining their attention once more. "If you see this cheetah, please call us immediately, as he is highly dangerous and will attack you. In fact-" he glanced at a wolf shifter standing beside him "he attacked two police dogs and our wolf. Do not threaten him, or go near him." He nodded at Gwen and David. "Good day." He spun on his heels,before marching out of the building, the other members of the police right behind him.

 

"Douche" Gwen said, rolling her eyes as she stood up to stretch, before walking out of the door.

 

* * *

 

 

"Neil! Where are you going? Can I come? Neil!" Nikki called as the taller child marched off into the forest. Following him into the forest was difficult as, he clearly heard her, and so took different paths in trying to lose her. Thankfully, Nikki knew all the shortcuts this forest had in store, so she cut him across easily.  At some point or other, Neil had shifted into his deer form. Thankfully, Nikki hadn't been there to see that. Everyone knew that boys had cooties.

 

Instead, she took off her own clothes, changing from a short girl with green hair and pink eyes to a sturdy cream wolf with a fluffy tail and sharp teeth. She padded silently after the young deer. **Neil!** she shouted, causing the boy to startle and spin around. **Nikki! What the hell are you doing here?**

 

 **Following you, silly!** she bounced down to meet him, ignoring his thousand yard stare as she did so. **So, what are we doing?** Neil huffed, glaring at the wolf.  _ **We**_ **are not doing anything, _I_ am going for a walk** he spun on his hooves, and started marching away. But what Nikki lacked in height, she made up for in tenacity. She easily slipped in beside him.  **Sounds like fun!** She gave a little hop, but then had to pick up the pace to make up for the lost ground.

 

Neil turned to stare at her, before stomping a hoof against the ground. **Nikki! I want to be alone!** He glared at her, but she remained unbowed in the face of his frustration.  **But then who's going to help you fight off the bear?** Neil spun around, and, sure enough, a very big grizzly bear stood behind him. It had been tracking him since it first caught wind of him.

 

 **Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!** He bolted, running in the opposite direction, with Nikki right behind him, mentally laughing all the while. He risked a glance backwards, only to discover two things. One, the bear was still behind him, and two, there had been a tree root in front of him.

 

He tumbled to the ground, shocked for a moment, and was vaguely aware that Nikki had stopped, and was turning around, but most of his attention was on the giant grizzly towering over him. Nikki rushed to his side, and tried to scare the beast away, but her warning barks were more like puppy yips. The bear got close to her face, and roared loud enough to actually throw her back.

 

 _Well, this feels familiar._ Neil eyed the bear as it towered over the two shifters. He could either call for help, and possibly provoke the bear, or try to escape, and possibly provoke the bear. He tensed, getting ready to bolt. Nikki glanced at him, and nodded, seeming to get the idea. After all, it was almost midnight, everyone was asleep. . . .

 

_It was the smallest of sounds, but to the the cub, it was like a gunshot, because in an instant, he was in some sort of weird battle crouch. . . ._

 

 _You're assuming he's still in the area,_ he frantically reminded himself.  _The smart thing to do is bolt._ He nodded, tensing back up again, aware that Nikki was giving him a weird look.  _But . . . what if he is?_

 

Neil came to his decision.  _I've been spending way to much time with Nikki_. He threw back his head, and screamed " **Max! Max, help!"** The bear, startled, took a small step back, just in time for Nikki to throw back her head and howl into the night sky **"MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAX!"**

 

The grizzly hit her hard enough to send her flying into the nearest tree. "No!" Neil shouted, rising to his hooves, only to get clawed across the chest. He stared blankly up at the ear hovering over him, before closing his eyes, not wanting to watch his own death.


	6. Bearfights and Arguments

Max was walking along the perimeter of the lake, still favoring his front paw slightly. He had managed to hunt down and kill a small rabbit, so his hunger was quenched. For now. Right now he was just looking for a place to rest, preferably away from prying eyes, when he heard the scream. It was too far away, and he couldn't tell whatever was being said, so he carried on, trying to place his paws on the smallest stones he could.

 

 **Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaax!** The thought slammed into his head from the howl, and he stumbled, and almost fell. Wolves were by far the most adept at mental projection, as they had a wider range. All they had to do was howl, and if the intended target could hear it, they would get the memo. Max straightened up, as he tried to think. He didn't know any wolf shifters, save for the man in blue and a couple of shifters back in the Thunderdome. 

 

But that didn't make any sense, the Thunderdome didn't give them any names, only numbers, and the police officer, well how would he know it? Besides, this was clearly a female voice. But the only two creatures who knew his name was Gwyneth, who gave him his name and . . .

 

_Fuck me._

 

 _It's not my problem_ , Max rationalized. _He only helped me because I was going to eat him. I don't have to do anything._

 

He believed that for all of ten seconds, before he broke and started heading towards the sound of the howl. The ground was swallowed underneath his paws, and he let out a low growl as he moved silently through the forest, finally breaking through some trees to enter a small clearing close to a worn down path.

 

It took him a millisecond to note the terrified deer shifter, with a giant grizzly standing over him, and the wolf shifter, clearly the source of the howl, curled up into a ball. Narrowing his eyes, he leaped, closing the distance just so he could sink his claws into the grizzlies back, letting his momentum send the two sprawling.

 

A small part of Max was sort of impressed about the bears reflexes. By the time Max had come out of his roll, and back into his battle pose, the bear had already gotten up off the ground, gone up on it's hind legs, and was roaring at him. In response, Max lowered his head and snarled right back, though it was a lot less impressive than the animals.

The grizzly swung a paw down, and Max rolled out of the way just in time. He leaped onto the bears back, and began to claw at him, from his neck, all the way down to his furry rump. The bear screeched, before falling back, ready to crush the shifter. Max only just got out of there in time.

 

He paused for a minute as he analysed his opponent once more. This creature was clearly used to fighting for his life, and was very good at surviving. Max gave the big cat equivalent to a smirk. _That's something we have in common._

 

He sprung, landing on his back and sliding under the bear, a risky move, but he didn't have much of a choice either way. He dug his claws deep into the bears soft stomach, earning a roar for his efforts. The grizzly reared up once more, and Max back flipped, landing on all fours, before jumping straight up, and grasping his throat.  The bear tried to pull him off with his claws, but now Max dug his claws and his teeth deep into his throat, ignoring the blood that was now blinding him.

 

Feeling the bear begin to stagger, Max pushed off of the broad chest, and landed in a crouch, back turned to the two other shifters as they watched the giant bear topple down to the ground, dead.

 

Satisfied, Max turned around, for a blur to tackle him.  **I got him! Quick, Neil, help me hold him!** The voice said in his head. Frowning, Max rolled over,  causing the wolf shifter to stumble and let go of his shoulders. Max was up in an instant, snarling.  **Neil, would you get a hold of your lunatic!** He glanced at the deer who was staring at him blankly.  **What?**

 

 **What the hell was that?!** The voice exploded in his head. Keeping his defensive stance up, Max  risked a glance at the bear's lifeless corpse.  **Saving your life?** he asked, rolling his eyes slightly at the other shifters density.  **Not that! . . . Well, maybe that.  . .. .  No! I mean, why did you kill that man?** Max turned his attention back to the struggling wolf pup.  **What man?**

 

Neil stamped his hoof, incensed.  **You know! The man in the city?** Max hesitated, only to reapply the pressure upon realizing that the girl was trying to rise up again. **Oh, him. Yeah, he touched me.** Neil froze, eyes widening.  **He touched you?** His words were tinged with horror. Max nodded, glad that he was finally getting it.  **Yeah, he grabbed my tail.**

 

There were so many emotions that came off of Neil, that Max could only count three- anger, horror . . relief?  **That's it?** Max turned to stare incredulously at Neil.  **What do you mean 'that' it'?** He demanded. Maybe he was wrong? Maybe this Neil guy was an idiot after all.  **He grabs your tail, so you kill him?!** The deer took a few steps back, glancing nervously at the restrained wolf he had pinned.

 

 **I warned him first, obviously** Max deadpanned, only for Neil to stamp his hoof hard enough to leave an imprint on the forest floor.  **That's . . .  your insane, aren't you?** Max blinked, searching his somewhat limited vocabulary for the meaning of that word.  **Maybe?** He said, after a long pause. A female snort rang in his head, and he glanced down at the wolf, who was now back to struggling.  **And what about the police? Huh? Collateral damage?**

 

Max felt his fur prickle at the deer's already sharp tone, and glared daggers at the ground in front of him. **The what?** Neil rolled his eyes.  **I'm not stupid, you know!** He snapped, taking a few more steps forward, so he was only a couple of meter's behind the cheetah.  **The police! Those men you attacked! You injured the wolf shifter!** Max flicked his tail.  **That was self defense!** He insisted, shoving down his feeling of guilt.  **Oh yeah? What did they do? Stroke your fur?**

 

Max spun around, snarling. Startled, Neil took a couple of steps back, clearly not expecting this.  **They attacked me first!** He growled, showing off his sharp, still bloody teeth. For _some reason,_ this made Neil even more nervous. Max casually sidestepped the she-wolf, who had attacked from behind, focusing his attention on the gangly deer.  **And I only hurt the dogs!**

 

Neil snorted.  **Like we're supposed to believe that.** Max's jaws closed with an audible 'snap.'  **. . . Believe what you want** he grumbled, spinning around and marching away.  **They're looking for you, you know** Neil called after him, making Max stop dead.  **. .  Who?** He asked, glancing behind him cautiously at the wolf pup who looked like she was caught between fighting him, or watching this argument play out.

 

 **The police, you-** Neil cut himself off, closing his eyes. Max almost wanted to point out how stupid that was, how open that left him, but decided against it. He would need every advantage if it came to it.  **The police are going to catch you, and lock you up!** Wolf girl chimed in, a little too enthusiastically for Max's liking.  **Lock me up?!** Max wiped all emotion out of his voice, but it was too late.

 

 **Yeah, for life.** Neil's voice was thick with triumph upon realizing that he finally had the upper hand in this conversation. Max's eyes hardened.  **They won't find me**. He marched into the thick green scenery around them, vanishing behind a bush.  **Unless we rat you out** Neil said, casually checking one of his hooves. Max instantly stormed back out.  **You wouldn't dare!** He snarled.

 

Neil ducked his head down.  **Try me!** He sent right back.  **I am not going back in a cage** Max seethed, while Neil stored _that_ interesting sentence for further reflection, but first . . .  **You should of have thought of that before you killed that man!** Neil spat back vehementinaly.  Max dropped his head, so he was staring up at the deer from the top of his eyes.  **I told you! It was self defense!** Max reiterated, tail fluffed up in aggravation.

 

 **And I'm telling you that him grabbing your tail is not a good reason!** Neil shouted back.  **Easy for you to say** Max snorted, looking between him and Nikki.  **You've never been a fight before** he said, eyeing the two's scar free coats.  **Yeah, because we're fucking normal!** Neil shrieked.  **Just how many people have you killed?**

 

The question confused Max on a multiple levels. If he was referring to shifters, then too many to count. But he wasn't, was he? He said people, and shifters were not people. It was Max's first and important lesson. In fact, it had been practically drilled into his head from a young age. _You are not human._

 

So, he kept silent, but that seemed to make Neil even madder, and he started pacing, froth appearing at his mouth as he trotted back and forth in front of the cheetah cub, who watched him warily.  **NO! This is not okay, Max! You can't just kill someone!** Max frowned at him, sitting down and curling his tail around his body carefully.  **Why not?**

 

Neil stomped forwards, showing off his square teeth as he came inches away from Max himself.  **I hate you.** He said it quietly, and for some reason, that was the thing tat hurt Max more than anything else. He stared helplessly up at the coldly furious deer, shoulders slumped in defeat as Neil turned around and walked back over to a stunned wolf pup.

 

 _Why did he care so much?_ It's not like he and Neil were friends or anything. But still, he felt his eyes water slightly. Alarmed, he raised his head, blinking furiously up at the sky. Neil was staring at him impassively for a few moments, before letting his gaze fall on his hooves.

 

 _Snap._ The three shifters head snapped towards the sound like elastic. _Snap, snap, snap._ It was big, and, judging by the sweet smell, a human. Neil was on his hooves, moving so that he was standing in front of Max, protecting him, _shielding_ him.  **Get out of here Max** he said sharply, and Max was on all fours. He stared at the gangly creature, gratitude flooding his heart. _He was still helping him._

 

He made his way to the bushes, before pausing. There was something in the smell. something underneath the sweetness. Something demanding him to think back, to recall, to _assess._ Max froze as he tried to grab the person's emotions.  _Curiosity, fear, worry, hope._ He stayed there, his bad paw raised delicately as he tried to figure it out.

 

He turned around.

 

* * *

 

 

A young woman was giving out to Neil, and the wolf pup, who's apparently called 'Nikki.' "Jesus Christ, do you have any idea what would of have happened if you two went missing?" She leaned in close, and jabbed Neil on his furry chest. " _Paper Work_. And if you think that I'm going to waste my time filling in some stupid questionnaire, wasting my afternoon, you two better think again!"

 

Her purple eyes fell on Max, and her eyes widened, mouth falling open in shock. Nikki and Neil both turned to him, following her line of sight. **Max?!** Neil shrieked, staring at him.  **I told you to run! How are we going to explain this to Gwen?** That last sentence was directed at himself.

 

Max couldn't care. He walked, stiff legged, passing Nikki and Neil and stopping just in front of Gwen. The two stared at each other, faces blank.

 

And then-

 

  **Gwyneth!**

 

Nikki and Neil flinched back at the name, which was so loud that it almost short circuited both their brains.  Max, meanwhile, was shaking with excitement as he stared up at the woman, like he expected an answer, which was stupid, since shifters could only talk to other shifters in their animal for-

 

**Max?**

 

Neil reeled back, confounded for two reasons. The main one being that shifters in their human form shouldn't be able to communicate telepathically. But the fact that Gwen, or Gwyneth, the person with the dirtiest mouth in all of Lake Lilac, was hugging a killer.

 

And Max was letting it happen. In fact . .  was he . .  purring? Neil raised an eyebrow and smirked.

 

Oh, this was too _good._


End file.
